With the many different tropes that fill the romance comedy genre, there is one in particular that has perplex me to the point of wondering why it tends to show up so frequently. I wrote about this before in a more specific sub-type of this trope, but it didn't really cover the scope of something this common. The thing I am alluding to is in many high school romances, which are based off some promise made back when both people were much younger; and with youth, it isn't that serious of a statement to make. You wouldn't think that something so simple would actually get to me, but after years of something so abundant it wears you down -- especially with this season in full swing.
To be more specific, Nisekoi has been the biggest and worse abuser of promises, whether the characters have remembered them or not. Even if it is entertaining as a comedy, the romance and things that tie each of the characters' relationships together is -- for the most part -- based on a promise. So instead of rage about it in my head for a couple of days, until the next episode and begin the cycle again, I want to attempt explaining why the Japanese population is so obsessed with the idea of past promises -- especially when it is as a young age. So lets dive in!
Embodiment of Innocence
One of the biggest factors that plays so well with the culture of Japan is an "innocent" promise. Since the emphasis of most promises is the fact that it is between children, that automatically categorises that promise as a pure or innocence one. Although I disagree with that segment, a majority of people in Japan -- and the west -- believe that children are automatically innocent. So mixing an adult concept like commitment and putting it on the level of a child might have made it seem more sweet and even cute to some people.
And really to amplify the innocence angle, the culture of Japan can be very conservative, or even strict, in some aspects making the emphasis of tradition very important to many people. And by definition "conservative" is being wary of change, so having a love in the past plays pretty well in being stagnate in trying to develop this type of love -- even if one party has forgotten. It is rather rigid, if you ask me, but things like fate and "pure" love really is something that a lot of Japanese people cherish. So to piggyback off that whole fate thing, this leads us to the last point for why I think promises are so popular.
Loyally Bound, Forever Fateful
Something that I will give some credit to people that remember some childhood promise is the fact that they managed to remember it in full, if at all. For me, remembering anything before middle school seem almost like an impossible task, so having that much detail of a past event between yourself and a past love is commendable -- even if they are fictional characters. That determination to keep the memory of a childhood love alive combine with that fatefulness of not ever pursuing any other love is something that tugs on people's heartstrings.
So with the fantasy of someone only thinking of you for so long, and never letting that fizzle out, it plays well with harems. Most harem like to have this type of promise dynamic in at least one girl so we know which is the most loyal; however sometimes there can be more than just one, and sure enough, slowly Nisekoi became just that. Sure there is a bit more nuance to this title, which is why I find myself enjoying it, but just like what I said in my first impressions, Nisekoi is really cliché in many aspects and continues to walk the line of tropes all the way to the bank.
Unfilled Promise
I wouldn't say that Nisekoi or any other anime that uses the promise as narrative device is automatically bad, but I'm just becoming more self-aware of these tools for building a story. The more it shows up, the more I can see how easy it is to use just to have two characters be connected by some event without that much back story or weight actually binding them, besides that promise. It feels like a very shallow way to setting up any kind of relationship development, but so many anime seem to love to use it.
There is no doubt different ways of connecting two or more characters together that might be a bit more interesting. I could even say something like Toaru Hikuushi e no Koiuta that puts an interesting spin on a promise, considering it has more to do with hate. Either way, I feel like promises are overdone and anime needs to come up with better ways to initially build relationships between multiple character before I make a promise to steer clear of these types of story, just like romcoms that derive their comedy from a male character being hit often.